Update Home Assistant safely in 2026

Beginner Home Assistant 2026.7

A compact smart-home server, backup drive, and groups of devices protected by a subtle shield

Home Assistant 2026.7 organizes pending updates into clear groups. ESPHome devices, HACS integrations, and apps can each gain an Update all button, while Home Assistant Core, the operating system, and Supervisor still require deliberate individual updates.

That makes maintenance faster. It does not make every update equally risk-free. The safe habit remains: back up, read, update bounded groups, and test the parts of the home that matter.

What the new Update all button does

The updates page separates work by the part of the system it belongs to:

Group	Examples	How it is handled
Home Assistant	Core, OS, and Supervisor	Each is updated deliberately
One integration	Several ESPHome devices or HACS packages	May offer Update all
Integrations	Individual integration updates	May be updated as a group
Apps	Matter Server or Studio Code Server, for example	May be updated as a group
Skipped versions	Updates you chose to skip	Kept out of bulk updates

The button applies only to the card where it appears. It is not a global “update the whole house” button, and the central Home Assistant components are kept out of it on purpose.

Before selecting update

Use this short check, particularly before a monthly Core release:

Open the release notes and read every backward-incompatible change between your current and target versions.
Open Settings → System → Repairs and resolve known problems first.
Check that the system has reasonable free disk space.
Create a full backup.
Store the backup and its emergency kit outside the Home Assistant device.
Write down the functions you intend to test afterwards.

A green tick beside a backup is not enough if the file is only on the same SD card or drive that is being updated. Use network storage, Home Assistant Cloud, or a downloaded copy, for example.

A calm update sequence

There is no single correct order for every home. This workflow makes it easier to identify which group introduced a problem:

Choose a sensible time

Update when you have time for checks afterwards. Avoid doing it just before bed, a holiday, or a period when heating, alarms, or access control are particularly important.
Create and move the backup

Make a fresh full backup and confirm it exists at an external backup location or can be downloaded.
Update a central component deliberately

Open the Core, OS, or Supervisor update, read its note, and use the backup option in the dialog when offered. Handle one central update at a time.
Wait for the system to return

Let Home Assistant finish starting. Check Repairs and the system log for new errors before continuing.
Update one grouped card

Use Update all on an ESPHome or Apps card, for example. Do not mix every group into the same troubleshooting window.
Test the home’s important functions

At minimum, check a light, heating, a notification, lock or alarm status, and one important automation. Use a natural run where it is safe.
Continue with the next group

Once the first group has been checked, move to the next.

What should you test?

Keep a fixed five-minute check suited to your home:

Area	Practical check
Interface	A dashboard opens on phone and computer
Devices	One local light and one wireless sensor respond
Automation	A low-risk automation produces a complete trace
Notification	A test message reaches the intended phone
Integrations	No new errors or repeated reloads appear
Backup	The new backup is visible at the external location

If you have locks, gates, water valves, or heat sources, verify their status and normal operation without performing a risky remote-control test.

Use Update all thoughtfully

The button is especially useful for many similar, non-critical devices. Seven ESPHome sensors may be a good group. Seven unrelated HACS cards with large changes may be easier to handle in smaller batches.

Skip a version when you have a specific reason, such as a known problem with your model. In 2026.7, skipped updates live in their own card so that they are not swept into a later Update all action.

Zigbee firmware needs extra care: read the device-specific changes first, fit fresh batteries to battery devices, and do not update the entire network just because updates are available.

If something goes wrong

Stop at the first documented failure. Capture or write down:

the component and version you updated;
the time;
the first new error in Repairs or the log;
which devices or functions are actually affected.

Reload only the relevant integration if the evidence points there. Do not restart repeatedly at random. If a Core update requires a rollback, Home Assistant documents restoring from backup as the supported route.

Common problems

The backup exists only locally

Download it or add an external backup location. A drive failure could otherwise affect both the installation and its backup.

Everything was updated at once

Use timestamps and version history to narrow the change. Next time, separate central components and grouped cards.

An app does not start after updating

Read the app log and its release note. Check the configuration before uninstalling or restoring anything.

An integration shows new errors

First check whether the error appears in the release notes or Repairs. Save diagnostics before removing the integration.

Backup and restore

Review backup and security before you need it.

Find the first failure

Use Activity and Traces after updating.